Now, here's the most important assumption of all: Rollins has at least one hit in each of the Phillies first 21 games.

If all that happens, one of sports' greatest records -- Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak -- will fall on April 26, when the Phillies host the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park.

Rollins finished the 2005 baseball season on a 36-game hitting streak, the ninth-longest hitting streak in major-league history. Rollins needs to hit in 21 more consecutive games to break DiMaggio's all-time record.

"Every year I would tell my brother, Antwon, that I would break Joe DiMaggio's streak," Rollins told Sports Illustrated. "He would laugh. I haven't told him that this year yet. I don't believe in jinxes, but I told him last year, and technically we're picking up from there, so do I need to tell him again?"

DiMaggio's record has stood since 1941. Because DiMaggio set the record during one season, he still would hold the single-season record if Rollins gets to 57.

"I'd call it a record unto its own, but not one that compares with the DiMaggio record," Houston Astros Manager Phil Garner said.

There is one career record that can be broken this season, however.

The San Diego Padres' Trevor Hoffman needs 43 more saves to break Lee Smith's record of 478 career saves.

But the career saves record isn't nearly as storied as many of the others, partly because saves didn't become an official statistic until 1969. So, expect the baseball world to focus on Rollins when the season starts.

Rollins needs to hit in nine more consecutive games to break the NL record of 44, held by Pete Rose and Willie Keeler. The Phillies are scheduled to play their ninth game this season April 13 in Atlanta.

As far as baseball's most prestigious records go, Rollins' pursuit of Keeler, Rose and DiMaggio and Barry Bonds' chase of Hank Aaron's career home-run mark of 755 are what baseball fans likely will emphasize this season.

Rose's record of 4,256 career hits? The closest active player is the Houston Astros' Craig Biggio, who's at 2,795. And Biggio is 40 years old.

Nolan Ryan's record of 5,714 career strikeouts? Well, 43-year-old Roger Clemens, who is second on the list, trails his fellow Texan by 1,212. The New York Yankees' Randy Johnson, third overall, needs 1,342 more to tie, and he's 42.

"The strikeout record?" Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox said. "Forget it. For one thing, they don't throw as many innings as those [retired] guys did."